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Bicycle Bookmobile progress report
As you may recall, I helped in the grant process last fall, and we were ultimately awarded a grant to add a bicycle bookmobile to our outreach program.
We bought a Bikes At Work cargo trailer, the 64" model, to use as the base. At today's monthly staff meeting, (a beautiful sunny day), the head of maintenance showed up on a borrowed mountain bike, pulling the prototype of our bookmobile. The prototype is constructed out of exterior high-R sheathing (insulation board). It's very shiny in the sun. Of all the ideas thrown around, Gene stuck with KISS. Basically, it's an enclosed box to hold a couple of book totes, with the top at about standard worksurface height. Mounted there, will be a double-sided wire rack book display, with signage mounted on top. There's also a locking drawer for the wireless hotspot and iPad to live. Very simple. Approvals given all the way around, construction of the real thing begins immediately. Estimated completion: Two to three weeks. Pics to come of the finished product. Next week I'll order my own trailer hitch to keep on my bikes. I'm stoked. This summer I won't be stuck inside the library all day, every day. |
That is very good news for you and your community. Thanks for keeping us posted.
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Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17718182)
Next week I'll order my own trailer hitch to keep on my bikes. I'm stoked. This summer I won't be stuck inside the library all day, every day. My city had a trailer built up to haul around landscaping tools along the main bike path along the river. In spite of the fact that the city yard is only a quarter-mile from the bike path, the program lasted less than one summer. It turns out that none of the city staff are willing to ride a bike.:( They did a big press release when they launched it, but never did come back and tell the public that the cargo trailer was quickly put into moth balls. |
This is fabulous. Can't wait to see pics of the final product, and pics of y'all out there riding around, sharing books.
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You need something to attract the kids like an ice cream truck. The kids will come running (the looks of disappointment will be priceless), but if you hand out lollipops, you may get a regular following.
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Can't wait to see pictures! Great idea! More libraries should do this!
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Very cool! Hope it all comes together seamlessly and trouble free! :)
- Andy |
Cool! I see the bookmobile (a bus) some times when I'm out riding, and it seems to attract enough customers to keep sending it out. Does your library have a bus bookmobile too?
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I fondly remember bookmobiles from my elementary school days and wish you success. It may be bold of me to suggest it, but have you considered combining electronic delivery through the wifi? Kids could look at the books, make their selections and download them to their phones on the spot. Nothing beats holding a book and skimming a page or two to choose one, but the e-book is so much more convenient to actually read. I know that would seal the deal if I were a kid.
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Originally Posted by no motor?
(Post 17730670)
Cool! I see the bookmobile (a bus) some times when I'm out riding, and it seems to attract enough customers to keep sending it out. Does your library have a bus bookmobile too?
Central library still maintains an Extension/Outreach department that services shut-ins and institutions. The ten city neighborhood branches (I work at one of them) and the 23 independent suburban libraries all do outreach to varying extents. Our neighborhood branch has set up at a local farmer's market for the past several years, and we do all teh street fairs and block parties. This is going to augment those. |
Originally Posted by wphamilton
(Post 17730711)
It may be bold of me to suggest it, but have you considered combining electronic delivery through the wifi?
That said, my guess is that since our web site--and by extension, our e-book collection--is already available from every wired and wireless connection in the world, that turning on another hotspot for e-book access isn't the priority. Put another way, the project (which now has a name, "Books By Bike") is to serve as an outreach and promotional vehicle in the meatspace. The services delivered are likely to be physical as well. The purpose of the wi-fi is to facilitate issuing and replacing cards, and circulating the items carried that day. I'm sure it will be used by folks to bypass their data plans as well. That's all my best guess. One never knows what the bosses have in mind. And there are four layers of bosses above me, each with their fingers in the pie. EDIT: (Five if you count the Board of Trustees, six if you count the mayor. City Council counts in there somewhere since they're our funding source.) FWIW, the last national figures I saw indicated that e-book growth at both the retail and the library-lending level had plateaued. |
Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17731791)
FWIW, the last national figures I saw indicated that e-book growth at both the retail and the library-lending level had plateaued.
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 17731841)
Were those plateaued figures for books in ebook format, or for sales of dedicated ebook readers, which may be facing competition from the ever more popular smart phones and tablets?
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This is so cool! Can't wait to see the finished product and hear about your adventures.
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Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17731791)
I don't yet know how things are going to work day-to-day. Those sorts of decisions are above my pay grade. Bear in mind that my civil service job title is Part-Time Clerk/Typist. I'm not a librarian. I'm simply the guy who helped steer them in the right direction for the grant and design. (You should have seen the original proposal. Yikes!) And I'll get more than a few turns pedaling the thing around.
That said, my guess is that since our web site--and by extension, our e-book collection--is already available from every wired and wireless connection in the world, that turning on another hotspot for e-book access isn't the priority. Put another way, the project (which now has a name, "Books By Bike") is to serve as an outreach and promotional vehicle in the meatspace. The services delivered are likely to be physical as well. The purpose of the wi-fi is to facilitate issuing and replacing cards, and circulating the items carried that day. I'm sure it will be used by folks to bypass their data plans as well. That's all my best guess. One never knows what the bosses have in mind. And there are four layers of bosses above me, each with their fingers in the pie. EDIT: (Five if you count the Board of Trustees, six if you count the mayor. City Council counts in there somewhere since they're our funding source.) FWIW, the last national figures I saw indicated that e-book growth at both the retail and the library-lending level had plateaued. |
Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17732283)
The books themselves.
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Momentarily plateaued or not, I would expect the market for ebooks to continue to contain to grow at the expense of traditional books as the readability, features, and battery life of devices improve. Personally I still prefer a traditional book in lots of situations so I hope that they continue to be produced.
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I tried ebooks and went back to paper. It's a lot more comfortable to hold a paperback than an e-reader, and the battery never dies! :)
[MENTION=55787]tsl[/MENTION]: awesome news! Post photos here of the finished product. |
I prefer ebooks these days. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing like a "real" book in your hand - but I don't have to even go to the library to check out an ebook. Also, reading from my Kindle at night doesn't bother the wife as much as a book light.
I was against having one until the airlines changed their policy about them during takeoff. As soon as that happened, I got myself a Kindle. |
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 17732991)
OK thanks. How does the plateaued sales of ebooks compare against the sales trends of paperback and hardbound books?
If you want, I could ask a librarian... ;) I found this through gurgle: http://www.publishingtechnology.com/...ebook-plateau/ |
Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17734953)
No idea.
If you want, I could ask a librarian... ;) I found this through gurgle: What Nielsen Bookscan data tells us about ebook sales cycles & the ebook plateau | Publishing Technology |
Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
(Post 17735732)
Thanks, an interesting an informative article and slide presentation.
One thing we do as a library and as a library system, is help local authors get published. Our branch has a writer's group that meets every Friday morning. The system is having our third self-published book festival this year. Between the two, I need both hands and a foot to count the authors I know personally. My favorite book so far this year started as a self-published e-book, then as an indie e-book, before being picked up for print and movie rights. The Martian by Andrew Weir is is a must-read if you have even a passing interest in science-fiction or man-against-the-odds stories. From my--as yet unfinished--mini-review for work: I picked this book up off a pile at work for the cover. I brought it home because I haven't read any science-fiction in a while. Then, late on a worknight, I made a terrible mistake. I opened it and started reading. Don't start this book unless you have time to finish it. You won't put it down. I couldn't. This debut novel is told mainly in the first person by an astronaut, Mark Watney, who's been left for dead after an accident on the third manned mission to Mars. Stranded in Robinson Crusoe manner (only without the cannibals) Mark must make the best of his wits and what meager supplies are at the landing site. Oh, and the radio is busted, so he can't contact anyone. It's only after a month or so that a NASA satellite operator notices activity at the landing site. Then begins the race to bring him home. What makes this book such an engaging read are three things. First there's Mark himself. He's a botanist and engineer. So it's easy for him to break down big problems into manageable bits. And being an average distance of 225 million miles from home is a pretty big problem. Written in journal form, he records his successes “And it worked!” and failures “I don't know how long I was unconscious after the explosion.” All the while, he keeps his sense of humor. “So here's another first: Tomorrow I'll be the first person to recover a Mars probe!” Okay. Maybe that didn't make you laugh, but I almost rolled out of bed. (Although perhaps it was the late hour.) Second, as it turns out, the science is well-researched and solid. Who knew you could make water out of rocket fuel, and vice versa? |
Originally Posted by tsl
(Post 17734953)
No idea.
If you want, I could ask a librarian... ;) I found this through gurgle: What Nielsen Bookscan data tells us about ebook sales cycles & the ebook plateau | Publishing Technology |
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